Japan's Brother Says Hit by China Strike

Japanese equipment maker Brother said Thursday it had been hit by strikes at two of its Chinese sewing machine factories last week but the labor dispute has now been resolved.

Brother said around 900 Chinese workers at two plants in the Chinese city of Xian staged a walkout on June 3 demanding higher wages and better working conditions, but returned to work Thursday.

"They went back and resumed production this morning," said spokeswoman Yumie Tamaru of the Nagoya-based company. "Negotiations are still ongoing, but the workers agreed to resume production."

The Xian factories are Brother's main industrial sewing machine manufacturing plants, Tamaru said. The company also has three other plants in China, which supply printers and sewing machines for domestic use.

"Since the strike is already over, its impact to the company's overall operations would be limited," the spokeswoman said.